AND
AND FINALLY... THE LAST OF THE FAMOUS WALKER SISTERS IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS
DIED 55 YEARS AGO. BUT
THEIR STORY STILL FASCINATES
VISITORS IN THE SMOKIES.
10NEWS REPORTER JIM MATHENY
WRAPS UP OUR THREE-PART SERIES
WITH A LOOK AT HOW THEIR
LEGACY LIVES ON.4@
"THEY COULD HAVE
IMPROVED THEIR LIFESTYLE. BUT
THEY CHOSE NOT TO. THEY 4@CHOS
TO LIVE THE WAY THEY DID."
ROBIN GODDARD SAYS
4@4@
IT'S 4@4@
IT'S EASY 4@4@
IT'S EASY TO 4@4@
IT'S EASY TO GET 4@4@
IT'S EASY TO GET THE 4@4@
IT'S EASY TO GET THE 4@WRONG IMPRESSION ABOUT THE WALKER SISTERS IF YOU ONLY LOOK 4@AT
OLD PHOTOS... OR THE REMOTE
CABIN THEY LEFT 4@4@BEHIND WHEN
THE LAST SISTER IN THE PARK
DIED IN 1964. "THEY WERE
VERY 4@SMART, KNOWLEDGABLE ABOU
WHAT W4@AS GOING ON IN THE
WORLD, AND 4@THEY LOVED PEOPLE.
ABOVE 4@ALL, THEY LOVED
THEIR HOME. AND THE PARK
HAD TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH
IT AFTER THE LAST SISTER DIED.4
"THEY HOPED THE PARK WOULD
TAKE CARE OF IT FOR PEOPLE TO
COME AND SEE WHERE THEY LIVED."
IN THE 1970S, THE PARK
PRESERVED SOME OF THESE OLD
BUILDINGS... INCLUDING THE
MAIN HOUSE WHERE YOU CAN STILL
WALK FROM THE 4@KITCHEN TO THE
PORCH TO THE ONE OTHER
DOWNSTAIRS ROOM... PLUS A
LADDER TO THE SECOND STORY
THAT IS FAR FROM A 4@PENTHOUSE.
BUT THE BUILDINGS ARE NOT
THE ONLY THINGS SAVED FROM THE
WALKER 4@SISTERS. "GREAT
SMOKY MOUNTAINS ASSOCI4@ATION
FUNDED THE PURCHASE OF
ARTIFACTS THAT BELONGED TO THE
WALKER 4@SISTERS. SOME 4,000
ITEMS." THOSE ITEMS ARE
PRESERVED IN A 4@TEMPERATURE-
CONTROLLED ARCHIVES BUILDING
IN TOWNSEND... WITH EVERYTHING
FROM THE SISTERS' CLOTHES, 4@
FURNITURE, HAND-MADE BASKETS.
"OH, IT'S SPECTACULAR, IT'S
AMAZING TO SEE THIS
COLLECTION. THEY ALSO MADE
THESE TINY BASKETS THAT THEY
WOULD SELL AS SOUVENIRS."
VALERIE POLK WORKS AS A
VIDEOGRAPHER FOR THE
NON-PROFIT GREAT SMOKY
MOUNTAINS ASSOCIATION. BUT
HER STORY IS INTERWOVEN WITH
THE WALKER LEGAC4@Y IN ANOTHER
WAY. "MY GREAT-GRANDMOTHER
IS OVER HERE. CAROLINE 4@WALKE
SHELTON."4@ SHE JUST HAPPEN
TO BE THE GREAT 4@GRANDDAUGHTER
OF THE ONLY WALKER SISTER TO
GET MARRIED AND HAVE CHILDREN.
AND THE MAN CAROLINE
DEVELOPED A RELATIONSHIP
WITH... JIM SHELTON...
DEVELOPED SOME OF THE BEST
EARLY PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE SMOKY
MOUNTAINS IN GENERAL BEFORE IT
WAS A PARK. "HOW FORTUNATE
ARE WE THAT HE HAD A CAMERA
THAT HE FOUND THAT AS THE
HOBBY THAT HE WANTED TO DO?"
"I COME ACROSS PICTURES HE
HAD TAKEN AND IT'S REALLY
TOUCHING." "INSIDE THE
HOLLOW CHESTNUT TREE. I THINK
THAT ONE'S REALLY NEAT. SHOWS
MY GRANDMOTHER, BOTH OF HER
SISTERS AND HER BROTHER AND
HER MOTHER." "I HAVE LOTS
OF COUSINS OUT THERE WHO ARE
ALSO RELATED TO THE WALKER
SISTERS." THE SISTERS'
LEGACY LIVES ON IN
PHOTOGRAPHS, RELATIVES, AND
OLD BUILDINGS. AND THE
BUILDINGS ARE PRESERVED BETTER
THAN MOST. "ONE OF THE
NICE THINGS ABOUT GOING TO THE
WALKER SISTERS CABIN IS IT
TAKES SOME EFFORT TO GET
THERE. IT'S A MILE IN. SO
THOSE PEOPLE THAT ARE WILLING 4@
TO MAKE THAT TRIP, GENERALLY
ARE PEOPLE THAT APPRECIATE IT
MORE AND NOT DO DAMAGE TO THE
STRUCTURE." THE REMOTE
LOCATION MEANS LESS VANDALISM, @
BUT IT MAY GIVE VISITORS THE
FALSE IMPRESSION THEY WERE
ISOLATED. THE 1.1 MILE
HIKING TRAIL USED TO BE A
NORMAL ROAD ANYONE COULD
EASILY DRIVE TO SEE THE LADIES
WHO 4@LIVED IN THE PARK.
"THE MAILMAN CAME. THEY
DELIVERED RIGHT TO THE FRONT
DOOR. AND IF THE MAILMAN
DELIVERED AND BROUGHT IT IN
THE HOUSE FOR THEM, TH4@EY 4@GO
FRIED APPLE PIE." "SO IT'S
NOT LIKE THEY WERE REALLY ALL
ALONE. 4@THEY WERE PROBABLY
OFTEN SURROUNDED BY FAMILY.
AND OF COURSE SURROUNDED BY
THE VISITORS WHO CAME TO 4@SEE
THEM FROM ALL OVER." "WHEN
I GOT MARRIED, THE FIRST HIKE
I TOOK MY HUSBAND ON WAS TO
THE WALKER SISTERS CABIN, AND
NOW I'VE BEEN ABLE TO TAKE MY
OWN DAUGHTER BACK THERE. AND
IT'S BEEN A VERY SPECIAL THING
TO SEE THE CABIN PRESERVED.
AND TO KNOW THE ARTIFACTS ARE
HERE IN THE COLLECTIONS IS
REALLY SPECIAL. TO GO TO
WEARS VALLEY AND SEE THEIR
GRAVES. AND TO 4@SEE THE
HEADSTONES THAT ALL SAY SISTER
ON THEM. AND TO KNOW THAT MY
GREAT GRANDFATHER IS BURIED 4@
WITH THEM IN THAT SAME 4@AREA,
IT'S REALLY SPECIAL." MAKE
NO MISTAKE... THE WALKER
SISTERS WERE DIFFERENT.
THEIR DIFFERENCES MADE THEM
4@
SISTERS WERE DIFFERENT. THEIR DIFFERENCES MADE THEM CELEBRITIES... AND THEIR STORY
STILL CAPTIVATES MILLIONS OF
PEOPLE WHO VISIT THE SMOKIES
EVERY YEAR. A DEVOTION TO
THEIR LAND AND TO EACH OTHER
THAT'S STILL CHISELED IN
STONE... AND WORTH THE EFFORT
TO SEE FOR YOURSELF... AS LONG
AS IT MAKES THE RIGHT
IMPRESSION. "IF YOU
PORTRAY THEM AS STERN OLD
MOUNTAIN 4@WOMEN. THAT'S NOT
RIGHT." "THAT THEIR LIFE
WILL BE PRESERVED FOREVER. AS
LONG AS THERE'S SOMEBODY THAT
WILL TELL THE STORY." IN
THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS, JIM
MATHENY, WBIR 10NEWS.
4@4@4@4@4@4@4@4@4@
@4@4@4@4@4@4@4@4@
4@4@4@4@4@4@4@4@
@4@4@4@4@4@4@4@
AND @4@4@4@4@4@
AND CHECK @4@4@
AND CHECK THIS OUT. JIM MATHENY TOOK 4@PICTURES FRO THE SAME ANGL4@E AS SOME OF THE
AND CHECK THIS OUT. JIM MATHENY TOOK 4@PICTURES FRO THE SAME ANGL4@E AS SOME OF THE@
OLD PHOTOGRAPHS OF LITTLE
GREENBRIER AND THE WALKER
SISTERS CABIN...4@ AND MADE
THESE SLIDER TOOLS YOU CAN
MOVE TO COMPARE THE VIEW BACK
THEN WITH TODAY.4@ GO PLAY
AROUND WITH THOSE AT
WBIR-DOT-COM.